Manuel is having technical problems with its engine. Does not have enough information to fix it yourself. even if it is in possession of the necessary parts. If someone has bikes to help people through on-site contact us and we will send you directions via SMS on who to contact.

Craig Bounds continued to defy the odds by completing stage eight despite the pain in his back getting worse. The tough Welshman has also started to lose feeling in his left hand, but still managed to get through the stage to finish in 101st which puts him 92nd overall.

Good morning everyone, so, while I catch up, Cyril's notes on yesterday:

After last night’s adventures Cyril Despres (KTM Redbull) received a hero’s welcome from his team when he arrived in Tucuman at the end of the marathon stage. And despite the stress and fatigue of yesterday’s late night, unassisted engine swap, he moves up to 2nd place overall 09’26 behind the leader. His team mate Ruben Faria completes the virtual podium and going into the rest day is third overall at 11’16.

Cyril Despres

“It wasn’t so easy last night. Already the decision to swap engines was a difficult, but once we made it we actually had to put the plan into action. You could see that the other riders were a little surprised when we started work! Some people say that the Dakar isn’t the same anymore, but I tell you last night was the real spirit of the Dakar. A big thank you to Marek Dabrowski and all the Orlen Team for the extremely generous ‘loan’ of their engine.

Today wasn’t so easy either. At one point we were supposed to ride in a riverbed, but we couldn’t because there was too much water in it. So instead we had to ride on the riverbank. The problem was that made the road book distances wrong. I was trying to recalibrate my trip all the time but when we came to a fork in the river I had a doubt. Finally I decided to ride back and check rather than take the risk. It cost me a little time but better lose a little time than potentially lose a lot of time.”

Good morning everyone, so, while I catch up, Cyril's notes on yesterday:

After last night’s adventures Cyril Despres (KTM Redbull) received a hero’s welcome from his team when he arrived in Tucuman at the end of the marathon stage. And despite the stress and fatigue of yesterday’s late night, unassisted engine swap, he moves up to 2nd place overall 09’26 behind the leader. His team mate Ruben Faria completes the virtual podium and going into the rest day is third overall at 11’16.

Cyril Despres

“It wasn’t so easy last night. Already the decision to swap engines was a difficult, but once we made it we actually had to put the plan into action. You could see that the other riders were a little surprised when we started work! Some people say that the Dakar isn’t the same anymore, but I tell you last night was the real spirit of the Dakar. A big thank you to Marek Dabrowski and all the Orlen Team for the extremely generous ‘loan’ of their engine.

Today wasn’t so easy either. At one point we were supposed to ride in a riverbed, but we couldn’t because there was too much water in it. So instead we had to ride on the riverbank. The problem was that made the road book distances wrong. I was trying to recalibrate my trip all the time but when we came to a fork in the river I had a doubt. Finally I decided to ride back and check rather than take the risk. It cost me a little time but better lose a little time than potentially lose a lot of time.”

note: i just finished getting caught up on the retarded f5rehose of the day, even at 20pp, i had almost 70 pages to catch up on... that said, i'll fill in the names for these photos tomorrow morning in the media thread; i'm knackered, off to sleep.

Dakar.com photos from stage 8, re-posted over in the Dakar 2013 Media thread. unfortunatly, not too many photos of the rain-gate / we canceled the stage because the cars were too afraid to cross the river... but pretty good photos from the stage either way. i'm sure more photos will follow once all the photogs slog their way back to the biovac.

#301 - GINIEL DE VILLIERS (ZAF) / DIRK VON ZITZEWITZ (DEU)

#146 - SJAAK MARTENS (NLD)
#171 - LORENZO NAPODANO (ITA)

#15 - FRANS VERHOEVEN (NLD)

#7 - FRANCISCO LOPEZ (CHL)

#139 - SERGIO MIGUEL PETRONE (ARG)
#126 - JUAN JOSÉ BARBERY (ARG)

#9 - OLIVIER PAIN (FRA)

i also took the time to post up the dakar.com stage 8 hidden driver candids to the Dakar 2013 Media thread... only one that really bares mention at this time is this:

Jean-Claude Olivier

Quote:

Originally Posted by dakar.com

The bivouac in Tucumán has been shaken by tragic news from across the ocean. Jean-Claude Olivier, a former boss of the Yamaha France team, died in a traffic accident in France this morning. He was not only an iconic figure of the brand with the tuning forks, for which he worked for 44 years before passing on the baton in 2010, but also a witness and an active player in the history of the Dakar in several ways. JCO, as he was known, was one of the pioneers who took part in the first edition in 1979. His best performance was in 1985, when he finished just behind winner Gaston Rahier. Without neglecting his own racing career, his greatest successes in the Dakar came as a team manager, when he guided Stéphane Peterhansel to victory on six different occasions between 1991 and 1998. This man in love with rally raids later worked hard towards Yamaha's return to the Dakar, which became a reality in 2004 with David Frétigné on a 450 cc motorcycle. Just today, David Casteu took over from Olivier Pain at the top of the overall classification of the rally. They both symbolise the continuity of Jean-Claude Olivier's work over several decades.

The Dakar organisers, and especially David Castera, whom Jean-Claude Olivier once took under his wing, extend their condolences to his family and friends.